Area libraries will soon offer telescopes for checkout

Stargazers are about to get a treat in Southeast Missouri, as several area libraries soon will begin offering telescopes for checkout.

Trish Erzfeld, director of Perry County Heritage Tourism and chairwoman of the Perry County Eclipse Task Force, was instrumental in helping launch the telescope program locally because of her association with members of the St. Louis Astronomical Society and its Library Telescope Program.

Erzfeld became acquainted with the St. Louis Astronomical Society, as she’s been gearing up for the Great American Eclipse that’s expected to bring thousands of visitors to Perry County on Aug. 21, 2017.

When she heard about the library program that modifies and distributes Orion StarBlast 4.5 telescopes for public use, Erzfeld told contacts at local libraries, who were excited to hear of it and eager to participate.

“This is a program that we can see opening doors to science and space long after the eclipse is gone,” she said.

Each Riverside Regional Library branch will have one telescope for checkout in the near future, except for the main Jackson branch, which will have two, according to a news release. Other Riverside branches include Benton, Scott City, Oran, Perryville and Altenburg.

Southeast Missouri State University’s Kent Library will have one telescope available for checkout in about three weeks. Cape Girardeau’s public library plans to have its telescope available by a tentative date of Sept. 19.

“We’re all very excited to get them up and going,” Erzfeld said.

Jeff Trinkle, director of the Riverside libraries, said his staff are cataloging the telescopes now, and they soon will be available to patrons.

Once they’re ready to check out, the telescopes will be on loan for just seven days, so more people will have an opportunity to test them out.

“And we will allow patrons to place them on hold so they know when they can come pick them up,” Trinkle said.

A program is planned for later in the fall that will teach Riverside patrons about the telescopes and how to use them.

Don Ficken, who manages the St. Louis Eclipse Task Force and the society’s Library Telescope Program, said the first set of telescopes became available in the St. Louis area in November 2014.

Since then, amateur astronomers and other enthusiasts have modified 131 telescopes for use by library patrons statewide, based on a similar program begun in New Hampshire in 2008.

“The patrons and staff love [the program], so it’s been very successful,” Ficken said.

ljones@semissourian.com

(573) 225-2979

Pertinent addresses:

Riverside/Jackson branch, 1997 E. Jackson Blvd., Jackson, Mo.

Riverside/Benton branch, N. 54 Winchester (U.S. 61), Benon, Mo.

Riverside/Scott City branch, 2108 Main St., Scott City, Mo.

Riverside/Oran branch, 120 Mountain St., Oran, Mo.

Riverside/Perryville branch, 800 City Park Drive, Suite A, Perryville, Mo.

Riverside/Altenburg branch, 66 Poplar St., Altenburg, Mo.

Cape Girardeau Public Library, 711 N. Clark St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Kent Library/Southeast Missouri State University, 1 University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, Mo.